May 08, 2008

Sempra gives $50K to governor's cause

Sempra Energy gave $50,000 to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's top fundraising cause days after the governor expressed frustration that environmentalists are trying to "slow down" the company's solar and geothermal project east of San Diego.

The governor has raised $2.1 million for a redistricting initiative this year, and Sempra last month gave $50,000 to California Voters FIRST, the committee running the redistricting campaign.

Environmentalists oppose Sempra's desired route for a 150-mile transmission line from the Imperial Valley to San Diego because it would cut through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The company wants to use the Sunrise Powerlink project to meet renewable energy requirements.

Schwarzenegger has not taken a position on the route, though he supports the overall project, said spokeswoman Lisa Page. State regulators are reviewing the matter.

"This is about protecting our environment and meeting our renewable energy goals, so of course the governor is supportive," she said. "There is an urgent need for large-scale geothermal and solar resources in the Imperial Valley that this project could deliver. But he has not endorsed a specific route ... he does not want it to go through the park if it can be avoided."

Schwarzenegger used the dispute last month as an example of how environmentalists can obstruct environmental projects. In an April 18 appearance at the 2008 Conference of Governors on Climate Change at Yale University, he said it is a "myth" that only "businesses and Republicans are the obstacle to progress on renewable energy and on greenhouse gases."

He added that environmental activists and Democrats take on a "kind of schizophrenic behavior" because "they say that we want renewable energy but we don't want you to put it anywhere, we don't want you to use it."

At Yale, he specifically said, "San Diego Gas & Electric wants to develop solar geothermal fields in Imperial Valley and build 150 miles of transmission lines to go and take this power right into San Diego, but it faces opposition even though it would replace an old carbon-based power plant. So the point I'm making is it's not just businesses that have slowed things down, it's not just Republicans that have slowed things down, it's also Democrats and also environmental activists that slow things down."

Schwarzenegger made a similar point April 24 on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno: "And it's sometimes even environmentalists that are obstacles ... you want to go and create more solar plants in the desert, and then they don't let you build, sometimes, the transmission lines to get it on the grid."

Sempra gave $50,000 to California Voters FIRST on April 25. Many contributors to the committee are friends of the governor, and their money came on top of the $2.1 million raised by the governor. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave $250,000. Developer Rick Caruso gave $100,000. Texas oil executive T. Boone Pickens also gave $100,000.

Julie Soderlund, a campaign spokeswoman, said Schwarzenegger has "absolutely" no association with the Sempra donation.

"The governor makes policy decisions based on what is in the best interest of the people of California," she said.

Sempra did not donate toward redistricting when it was on the ballot in 2005, and it is unusual for Sempra to donate to a government reform cause, said Michael Shames, executive director of the San Diego-based Utility Consumers' Action Network, a utility watchdog group.

"They have stayed aloof of these issues until now, so it's either a massive change of policy or they're looking for the governor's love," Shames said.

Sempra was unavailable for comment Thursday afternoon.

Posted by Kevin Yamamura on May 8, 2008 04:26 PM